Tra-la-la Coupe-moi, brûle-moi, from Carmen (string trio – violin, viola and cello)

Title: Tra-la-la Coupe-moi, brûle-moi, from the opera Carmen

Composer: Georges Bizet, arr. David Gable

Instrumentation: Violin, Viola and Cello

Printout: 3 pages

Note: Carmen is without doubt one of, if not the most, complex operatic heroine prior to the twentieth century, and the music in this scene does much to establish her character. Sultry, brooding, tragic and coquettish by turns, the scene is rightly called a “mélodrame” in the score. In this setting, the recitative portions of the scene have been omitted, shifting the focus to Carmen’s memorable “Tra-la-la” theme. The vocal solos of Carmen and Zuniga (the captain of the guard) are given to the viola in this arrangement.

This arrangement is also available in the Bargain Bundle Carmen, Selected Highlights for Violin, Viola and Cello, Set 1.